Paralegal

Job Title: Paralegal

Program: Regions / Florida & Caribbean Program

Employment Type: [  ] Salary   [ X ] Hourly (non-exempt – this position is eligible for over time)

                                 [  ] Part-time [ X ] Full-time

                                 [  ] Temporary [ X ] Regular

Reports to: Florida & Caribbean Program Director

Direct Reports to this position: n/a

Salary Range: 

Associate Paralegal: $54,000–59,500

Staff Paralegal:  $59,500–72,500

Senior Paralegal: $72,500–81,000

Location: Remote

Is this position in the Bargaining Unit?  [ X  ] Yes   [   ] No
*Because this position is in the Bargaining Unit, some fees may be required depending on where the candidate lives as a condition of employment.

How to apply: Please apply online (https://biologicaldiversity.bamboohr.com/careers/113?source=aWQ9MzE%3D) by completing our application and submitting a cover letter, resume, and reference list. The position will remain open until filled. The desired start date is as soon as possible. Only applicants selected for interviews will be contacted. No telephone calls, please.

Deadline to apply: March 31, 2025, application review and interviews will occur on a rolling basis

ABOUT THE CENTER
The Center for Biological Diversity, a national 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, believes the welfare of human beings is deeply linked to nature — to the existence of a vast diversity of wild animals, plants and people. Because diversity has intrinsic value, and because its loss impoverishes society, we work to secure a future for all species, great and small, hovering on the brink of extinction. We do so through science, law, activism and creative media, with a focus on protecting the lands, waters and climate that humans, other species and all communities need to survive and thrive.

We want those who come after us to inherit a world where the wild is still alive.

POSITION SUMMARY
The Center for Biological Diversity’s Regions programs work to protect wildlife, ecosystems, and people on the ground and across the country, using science, law, advocacy, and creative media. The Regions’ teams develop dynamic conservation campaigns and litigation to address key threats to biodiversity in each of eight regions: Alaska, Florida & Caribbean, Great Basin, Hawaii, Northern Rockies, Southern Rockies, Southeast, and Southwest.

The Paralegal will provide paralegal, legal secretarial, and administrative support to the dynamic, regional teams to support litigation, policy advocacy, grassroots organizing, and media outreach. The working environment is fast-paced, exciting, and supportive.

ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Preparation of legal documents, including checking citations, completing tables of contents and authorities for briefs, proofreading, formatting, filing, and ensuring compliance with court rules in a variety of federal and state jurisdictions.
• Filing and serving legal documents and maintenance of legal dockets, including e-filing, serving documents by certified mail, making courtesy/chambers copies, corresponding with vendors and clerks’ offices, and related tasks.
• Assistance with maintenance of the Center’s and program’s litigation-tracking databases and calendar management of administrative actions, internal deadlines, and court filings.
• Preparation and indexing of administrative records and appendices/excerpts of record in litigation.
• Preparation of billing spreadsheets.
• Conducting some factual and legal research or document review, such as working with attorneys to review, organize, and summarize discovery documents, and pulling documents from PACER and other court databases.
• Finalizing and submitting comment letters, including retrieval of online references.
• Maintenance of legal library, including updating of court rules and reference material.
• Ability to handle and track payments for incurred expenses, which may include filing fees, bar dues, CLE registration, and submit monthly expense reports to Accounting.
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned.

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS

• A minimum of three years paralegal/litigation experience.
• Ability and willingness to complete legal secretarial tasks.
• Willingness to complete general administrative and clerical tasks.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and Adobe Pro, and willingness to learn new software and other programs as needed. Experience with Outlook, Teams, OneDrive, and Zoom preferred. Experience with legal case management software (e.g., Rocket Matter, MyCase, Clio, Practice Panther) preferred.
• Experience with LexisNexis and/or Westlaw preferred.
• Experience with PACER/ECF or other e-filing portals preferred.
• Strong understanding of court and administrative dockets, rules, and regulations.
• Excellent writing, editing, and communication skills; strong attention to detail and organizational skills; knowledge of Bluebook and/or ALWD; familiarity with Redbook or similar legal style manual preferred.
• Experience multi-tasking efficiently and effectively working on a diverse team.
• Strong work ethic, problem-solving skills, and ability to learn new tasks quickly.
• Demonstrated competency and interest in working with people with different social identities than themselves (including race, gender, sexual orientation, age, class, and disability), and commitment to the Center’s JEDAI principles (see below).
• Demonstrated commitment to environmental protection preferred.
• Paralegal certification preferred.
• Ability to work 40+ hours per week.

WORKING CONDITIONS

The position is remote. Occasional but infrequent travel may be required. The position also regularly requires working under strict deadlines. The typical working schedule is Monday-Friday, 9-5. This role requires long hours spent working at the computer, along with the operation of typical office equipment (copier, fax machine, etc).

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

The ideal candidate must be able to complete all physical requirements of this job with or without a reasonable accommodation.

This is not a complete description of all workplace conditions, and conditions are subject to change per the Organization’s discretion.

Cognitive

Ability to process and analyze information: [  ] Rarely    [  ] Occasionally   [ X ] Frequently  

Exchange accurate information: [  ] Rarely    [  ] Occasionally   [ X ] Frequently  

Communicate and express oneself with others: [  ] Rarely    [  ] Occasionally   [ X ] Frequently  

Interaction with other colleagues: [  ] Rarely    [  ] Occasionally   [ X ] Frequently  

Interaction with the public/co-collaborators: [ X ] Rarely    [  ] Occasionally   [  ] Frequently  

Physical

• Reading (ingest data): [  ] Rarely    [  ] Occasionally   [ X ] Frequently
• Working on a computer: [  ] Rarely    [  ] Occasionally   [ X ] Frequently
• Typing: [  ] Rarely    [  ] Occasionally   [ X ] Frequently
• Writing by hand: [ X ] Rarely    [  ] Occasionally   [  ] Frequently
• Sitting: [  ] Rarely    [  ] Occasionally   [ X ] Frequently
• Walking: [  ] Rarely    [  ] Occasionally   [ X ] Frequently
• Standing: [  ] Rarely    [ X ] Occasionally   [  ] Frequently
• Lift/Carry 0-25 lbs: [  ] Rarely    [ X ] Occasionally   [  ] Frequently
• Lift/Carry 25-75 lbs: [ X ] Rarely    [  ] Occasionally   [  ] Frequently
• Hiking: [ X ] Rarely    [  ] Occasionally   [  ] Frequently
• Climbing up or down stairs: [ X ] Rarely    [  ] Occasionally   [  ] Frequently
• Bending: [ X ] Rarely    [  ] Occasionally   [  ] Frequently
• Squatting: [ X ] Rarely    [  ] Occasionally   [  ] Frequently
• Reaching overhead: [  ] Rarely    [ X ] Occasionally   [  ] Frequently
• Repetitive motions: [  ] Rarely    [  ] Occasionally   [ X ] Frequently
• Ability to drive: [  ] Rarely    [ X ] Occasionally   [  ] Frequently

Location Conditions

• In person required (versus remote work): [ X ] Rarely    [  ] Occasionally   [  ] Frequently
• Travel required:  [  ] Rarely    [ X ] Occasionally   [  ] Frequently
• Night or weekend work: [  ] Rarely    [ X ] Occasionally   [  ] Frequently
• Work in outdoor conditions: [ X ] Rarely    [  ] Occasionally   [  ] Frequently
• Other? _________________ [  ] Rarely    [  ] Occasionally   [  ] Frequently

BENEFITS (Subject to change—see Handbook for more details)
For regular staff working 30+ hours a week

• Fully paid medical premiums for staff, and greatly discounted for families.
• Fully paid dental and vision premiums for staff and their families.
• Generous employer contribution to HSA and HRA’s.
• Lifestyle Spending Account (LSA) provided for reimbursement of eligible wellness expenses.
• Center paid premiums for Short Term and Long-Term Disability provided for all staff.
• Center paid premiums for Basic Life Insurance for all staff.
• Discounted premiums for pet discount program.

For all regular staff

• 403(b) plan with employer match and increasing employer paid contributions.
• Generous time off policies, including 13 paid holidays per year and 5 “personal” days awarded each year.
• Vacation accrual starts at a rate of 15 days annually, but it may be higher commensurate with experience, and paid sick days accrue at a rate of 10 days per year.
• Center Paid Time Off for parental leave, personal leave, caretaker leave and even pet caretaker leave.
• After 5 years of service, all employees receive a 12-week paid sabbatical.
• Relaxed work atmosphere and dress code.

JEDAI STATEMENT

The Center for Biological Diversity deeply values, and is committed to sustaining and promoting, both biological and cultural diversity. We welcome, embrace and respect diversity of people, identities and cultures. We are committed to fostering an organizational culture of diversity and inclusion. The Center believes staff and board diversity is critical to saving life on Earth.

We are an equal opportunity employer.

The Center complies with all federal and local laws regarding work authorization for new hires. We welcome and encourage anyone interested to apply to any of our open positions. Everyone, regardless of current work authorization, will be considered.

Exempt Classification: Non-Exempt  

Applicable Exemption: N/A  

Reasoning behind this classification: Transactional administrative work with minimal discretion, work is predominately routine in nature and the output can generally be standardized in relation to a given period of time. Paralegals must be non-exempt per FLSA guidelines.